Microsoft Surface, Meet Apple iSurface

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Microsoft Surface, Meet Apple iSurface

Posted by Unknown on Saturday August 4, 2012 @12:34AM from the apple-sues-ms-for-pre-infringement dept.

theodp writes "Responding to Microsoft's Windows 8 efforts, Apple CEO Tim Cook insisted in late April that combining a tablet and a notebook would be like converging a toaster and a refrigerator. But a patent application submitted by Apple last year — and made public Tuesday morning — proposes marrying a tablet and a keyboard to create 'a true laptop alternative,' which GeekWire notes looks a lot like Microsoft Surface (comparison pic). In its patent filing, Apple describes various ways that a tablet's cover could be used as an I-O device — as a tactile-feedback keyboard ('word processing and email become much more efficient'), to display additional output, as a touchpad replacement, and even to receive stylus input. 'The experience,' claims Apple, 'is even better in some ways than the laptop experience.'"

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It's a screen with a keyboard... by Lord+Lode · 2012-08-04 00:36 · Score: 5, Insightful

Nothing new here. Move along.
1. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by FSWKU · 2012-08-04 00:42 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Nothing new here. Move along.
  But...but...it's an APPLE screen with a keyboard! That mean's it's magical, revolutionary, innovative, wonderful, stunning, and powerful! Why do you hate magic?
  
  --
  "So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die..."
2. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by MrKaos · 2012-08-04 00:50 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Nothing gnu here. Move along.
  FTFY
  
  --
  My ism, it's full of beliefs.
3. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-04 01:06 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Are you kidding? You've never been in a room full of hipster Apple fanboys have you? Try hanging out in a coffee shop in Williamsburg Brooklyn. You'll want to kill yourself.
4. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by Nerdfest · 2012-08-04 01:10 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  People hate Apple for a lot of very good reasons. Abuse of the legal and patent systems, pretending to be police, locked systems and markets, proprietary connectors, proprietary protocols, greed, and general corporate dickishness. The blind followers tend to be fairly annoying, as well as those who recognize most of these points, but still buy their products, ignoring that in the long run the direction that Apple is taking is bad for everyone but Apple. I wish more people 'hated' Apple; they might take notice and change their ways.
5. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by ozmanjusri · 2012-08-04 01:11 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  If you take that as criteria, there aren't a lot companies that 'innovate' anymore.
  
  So why are we discussing Apple and Microsoft's "tablet with detachable keyboard" instead of Asus Padfone or Ubuntu for Android, both of which are genuinely innovative?
  
  --
  "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
6. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by Kwpolska · 2012-08-04 01:19 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I don't see a lot of normal people talking in such terms.
7. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by EEPROMS · 2012-08-04 01:20 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Dam Asus an their time machine, they must have gone into the future 3 years and used that knowledge to steal the design from Apple for the Asus Transformer.
8. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by SuricouRaven · 2012-08-04 01:23 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I just wish there was another laptop manufacturer around that actually cared about screen resolution. I keep finding things with terabyte hard drives, quad-core processors... and 768 vertical pixels. If you want high resolution portables, Apple is really your only option.
9. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by AngryDeuce · 2012-08-04 01:26 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  The only ones that talk constant about "magical", "revolutionary", "innovative", ... - with the exception of a marketing movie when a new product has introduced - are people that are riding the iHate wave. I don't see a lot of normal people talking in such terms.
  Then you either live in a small pocket of technological illiterati, are legally deaf, or deliberately ignoring it, because I hear that kind of shit all the fucking time out of retards that honestly believe Steve Jobs invented the modern era single-handedly.
  How long before this becomes reality?
10. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by SilenceBE · 2012-08-04 01:42 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  because I hear that kind of shit all the fucking time out of retards
  
  Then you should do something about your social situations. Again I never hear "normal" people - and maybe I'm lucky - talk in that way. I say "normal" because I never understood why somebody gets so emotional about a brand
  
  Maybe it is a cultural thing but I really what do you want me to say ? I never heard somebody talk in those terms. That they like Apple products and they swear by them yes. But I have also friends that have that feeling about their Android smartphone, hell I swear by Android for my smartphone... .
11. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by lilfields · 2012-08-04 01:54 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  You seriously just compared not liking Apple to racism? Well, at least you were an anonymous coward about that.
12. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by jkflying · 2012-08-04 01:58 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  You obviously didn't look very hard, I've seen hi-res Thinkpads, Dells and Sonys. Of course, it isn't in the general consumer stuff, but rather in the high end. IMHO 1920x1080 on a 15" screen is dense enough dpi beyond which it doesn't make a difference... and beyond that the graphics power needed to push around all of those extra pixels gets unreasonable for the marginal benefit gained.
  
  --
  Help I am stuck in a signature factory!
13. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by SilenceBE · 2012-08-04 02:03 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  So why are we discussing Apple and Microsoft's "tablet with detachable keyboard" instead of Asus Padfone or Ubuntu for Android, both of which are genuinely innovative?
  
  Because this is Slashdot where "editors" rather post "news" that give people their daily "ranting" fix and also because it is commercial interesting. As an editor you know that posting this kinda of articles will get your number of page hits to the roof in no time.
  
  I see it also on other sites where they have a group of followers that have a particularly negative feeling against one of multiple brands and where you can follow some metrics. Post a article of "hated" product X or brand Y and you will see the number of comments come in in a bigger rate then the other articles.
  
  Pro or contra, we are all getting played for commercial motives.
  
  If it would be me we would have less Apple articles, less Microsoft articles, less Raspberry pi advertisement, but more stuff for nerds like the Asus padfone or Ubuntu for Android... .
  
  I don't see a lot of added value of this kind of news where the general discussion that follows how we hate Apple, how we hate Apple users, etc.
14. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by Nemyst · 2012-08-04 02:51 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Dislike them all you wish, but Sony's VAIO Z has a 1080p screen on a 13.1" body. There's also Samsung's Series 9 ultrabook, 900p in a 13.3" frame.
  And then if you want bigger, there's plenty of choice from companies like Sager that offer 1080p on a 15.6" frame.
15. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by CTU · 2012-08-04 02:51 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  dufuq did I just read? How can anyone compare hating Apple to Racism? I really don't like Apple stuff, but I have a reason. I have how overpriced it is, I hate how locked down it is, I hate how Apple abuses the legal system like suing everyone and the time they had people pose as cops. Mostly I hate having to use iTunes to sync any music/video to the player as I don't want to have to sort through my full library just to add a few songs because doing it that way is way slower and less covenant then just copying a few folders and moving them directly.
  The only good thing I can say is that everyone has some sort of iPod dock for everything and it would be nice to have an alarm clock that can connect to my MP3 player.
16. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by elrous0 · 2012-08-04 03:04 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Man, no offense, but you REALLY need to lay off the Kool-Aid. Steve has been dead for a while. Makes me wonder how long it will take the reality distortion field to finally fade.
  They're a corporation. Their goal is to make money. They're not your friend, nor your daddy. And they are MOST CERTAINLY not a civil rights cause that needs your defense. They make products, not dreams.
  
  --
  SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
17. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by Missing.Matter · 2012-08-04 03:43 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Yes, Apple offers a 2880x1800 laptop, but you really gotta pay for that, starting at $2200. If you want anything cheaper, their other offerings have strangely lacking displays in terms of resolution, far below full 1080p even, which I see on some very cheap PC laptops. The 11" Airs have 1366x768 (starting at $999) and the 13" Airs have 1440×900 (starting at $1200). The Macbook Pro 13" has 1280×800 (starting at $1200) and the Macbook Pro 15" has 1440×900 (starting at $1800) and upgradable to 1680×1050 (again, not even full 1080p HD) for $100.
  
  Compare this to the HP Envy 15 for instance, which has a 15" screen and a 1920x1080 IPS display. It pretty much matches the specs and ammenities of the Macbook Pro 15", but HP is selling it for only $1250. Dell Also sells 1080p laptops in the XPS line, or even cheaper with the 15R and 17R, which both can be customized with a 1080p display. This isn't even mentioning Sony, Lenovo, Asus, etc. who all offer laptops with 1080p displays. Also keep in mind the only laptop Apple offers with a display at or above 1080p is the Macbook Pro Retina. If you want the highest resolution portable, Apple is your only option, but 1080p on a 15" display is pretty damn good pixel density for most people, and you won't find one of those from Apple for under 2 grand.
18. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by milkmage · 2012-08-04 04:12 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Not sure if MS filed a patent for theirs, and if they did, when.... But apple's isn't a direct response to it.
  The surface was supposed to be so ultra top secret that a lot of ms execs didn't know about it until the unveiling (... http://www.bgr.com/2012/06/21/microsoft-surface-apple-like-secrecy/) so it's unlikely that apples patent FILED LAST YEAR but only made public on 8/2 is a "copy"
  FTA: A patent application submitted by Apple last year — and made public just this morning — describes a flexible, magnetically attached cover for a tablet device. It’s similar to Apple’s existing smart cover for the iPad, except that this cover can also function as an input and display device. And one of the concepts described by Apple in the patent filing is an idea for using the cover as a keyboard.
  And if you look at the patent, apples is a display, and writing surface, plus keyboard, whereas the surface is just a keyboard.
  See what happens when you read?
19. Re:It's a screen with a keyboard... by ilsaloving · 2012-08-04 05:00 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I pretty much agree with you, but I have to point out one thing: There ARE NO "good" companies.
  Every time a company did something that pissed me off, I vowed to personally boycott them. As the list grew I eventually realized that my position was untenable because I would reach a point where I couldn't buy anything at all. Furthermore, the average person isn't even remotely as conscientious, so my little personal victories became hollow because they didn't actually amount to anything.
  So all I can do now is, when I want to buy a product, I look at the company's behaviour to see if they've actively screwed over their customers. Either by shoddy products, or some other form of dishonest behaviour. I refuse to buy from Sony because they've released rootkits on their CDs, rolled back features on their game consoles, etc. I refuse to buy from Amazon because they have a demonstrated history of take-backsies plus other things.
  Apple, at least from the consumer standpoint, have done what they said on the tin. They provide good products, along with downright excellent service. I can buy an iphone now and KNOW that it will be supported 3 or 4 years from now. My Google Nexus One? Dropped like a hot potato less than a year after I bought it.
  I used to despise Microsoft with a passion. Now... I just don't care anymore. They make products. I use them or not as I see fit.
  I guess this was all a TL;DR version of, "Making an emotional investment, love OR hate, in something that will not reciprocate is pointless and will only hurt you the long run."
Copy Sony again? by F'Nok · 2012-08-04 00:40 · Score: 5, Interesting

Is this another case of Apple copying what Sony is doing, but publicising it better?
http://www.xperiablog.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Xperia-Tablet_13.jpg
1. Re:Copy Sony again? by Danieljury3 · 2012-08-04 00:47 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Or the Asus Transformer http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/
2. Re:Copy Sony again? by pushing-robot · 2012-08-04 00:57 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Or the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard cover, or...
  The idea of adding a keyboard to a tablet is hardly Microsoft's invention; Apple released a keyboard dock alongside the first iPad, to say nothing of the old convertible tablet PCs.
  
  --
  How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
3. Re:Copy Sony again? by MrKaos · 2012-08-04 01:03 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Or the Asus Transformer http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/
  
  Not "Or", I think ASUS are the one's driving innovation in this space. The EEE pc was a game changing concept that was pretty much subverted into something it wasn't. These Eee pads are certainly a refresh of the concept that includes a pad. I've found it to be a flexible design and I don't think Asus get the credit they deserve.
  The concept of a "year of the Linux desktop" is changing to make the desktop irrelevant.
  
  --
  My ism, it's full of beliefs.
4. Re:Copy Sony again? by binarylarry · 2012-08-04 01:27 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  You might want to look up what "prior art" means.
  
  --
  Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
5. Re:Copy Sony again? by Nerdfest · 2012-08-04 01:50 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Since when has that mattered to the patent office or Apple?
6. Re:Copy Sony again? by andy16666 · 2012-08-04 03:08 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Huh? iOS is essentially the same OS as OSX with a different UI.
toaster?? by mnemotronic · 2012-08-04 00:50 · Score: 5, Funny

Somebody please converge my microwave with my refrigerator/freezer. Put a keyboard on it and a handy "sue everyone" button and its an iAppliance (c).

--
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
wait a minute... by Cyko_01 · 2012-08-04 01:08 · Score: 3, Insightful

so basically they took a laptop and switched the positions of the LCD and keyboard? It's a fucking touchscreen laptop! they just moved the heavy stuff to to top!
Payback - you Apple bullies! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-04 01:20 · Score: 5, Funny

... are people that are riding the iHate wave
It's payback for all the abuse over the years that us Microsoft lovers had to put up with from the Apple Fanbois ...
Microsoft has a monopoly! The courts said so!
Microsoft controls the PC market and Apple can't get a break!
Microsoft is keeping us down!
Microsoft has cornered the market on clothes forcing us to wear black fake turtle necks!
Microsoft is hurting Jobs!
Microsoft stole everything from Apple!
Microsoft does this!
Microsoft does that!
Microsoft! Microsoft! Microsoft! Microsoft!
Do you know what kind of emotional scaring I have suffered from with all this Microsoft! Hate!! And you have the nerve - the audacity - to complain about Apple Hate?!?
I still cry myself to sleep on occasion after reading Slashdot on my Windows PC! And when I go to get my Windows 8 machine, I'll wear sunglasses, trench coat, and I'll have to fork Firefox so that it always reports that I'm using some sort of Apple OS! Do you realize that?!
Posting as AC because I can't deal with you Apple bullies!
*storms off sobbing*
Re:Apple copying Microsoft? BS. by lilfields · 2012-08-04 02:00 · Score: 3, Informative

I am fairly certain that a touchscreen and keyboard combo existed way before the iPad was even in prototype stages. The first -modern- tablets were (terrible) Microsoft tablets running full fledged Windows XP. You can actually see them all over hospitals, still. They had keyboards, and styluses. That's 8 or so years before the iPad.